Stranded No Longer
by D'Adrienlove
Summary: A year after Karnak, the world is far from the utopia Adrian had envisioned and has left both his life and Dan's in ruins. Can they salvage what's left of each other?


It was a typical New York midnight. The streets were seething with sex and violence, lies and filth. Nothing had changed. Adrian Veidt hadn't brought the change he so wanted...only more of the gut-wrenching horror that everyone had grown accustomed to. Murders, kidnappings. It was all the same. Dan Dreiberg sighed.

One thing had changed. Dan had become very lonely as of late. With Rorschach dead and Laurie gone to care for her ailing mother, he longed for company. He longed to feel the rough caress of another man's arms.

**

Adrian stood on his balcony and watched the giant mechanical owl glide over the rooftops. Dan was still patrolling, making a difference. A year ago, Adrian would have laughed. He'd found Dan's acts of vigilantism to be simplistic, naive, almost cute. Dan had been ignoring the real problem, the source of the violence he had to fight again and again. And who better to attack the source than Adrian Veidt?

Adrian knew better now.

_You may be the world's smartest man, but you're still only a man._

Was he even that any more? He gripped the railing and shut his eyes, trying to fend off the words that had taken up residence in his mind.

_Dissociation._

_Hubris. _

They only got louder. The way Dan had looked after Rorschach had been destroyed only became more vivid. He stared back up at the owl, not knowing if he wanted Dan to be looking back at him or not.

**

But Dan was always watching.

He knew a man like Adrian could never understand his life's work. Dan lived for small victories, and the thrill of street justice somehow eluded the world's smartest man. Adrian wanted to save the world; Dan was happy with saving New York.

He decided it was time for a visit.

**

The owl made a sharp turn and flew purposefully towards the penthouse. Dan wanted something. An explanation, probably. Adrian looked up, sighing as he felt the owl's wake sweep over his face and almost wishing Dan just wanted his head on the end of a spear. It would be easier that way. He'd explained himself in Antarctica, but he'd do it again if that was what Dan wanted. He owed him that much.

Adrian laughed to himself as he heard the owl land. He thought of the fantasies he'd had when the Crimebusters had first united. Most of them had involved Dan Dreiberg landing on his roof late at night, but under very different circumstances. Dan's footsteps got louder before they were replaced by a quiet shuffling. Suddenly, Dan was standing on his balcony, staring at him through those goggles.

Adrian tried to smile. "Hello Nite Owl." He said.

**

"Adrian," The name rolled off his tongue so naturally. "It's been a while."

"It has, Dan. Please, come sit down."

A palpable tension filled the air. It had been almost a year since the two had last seen one another. Dan had forgotten how lavish Adrian's home was, and the flood of luxury was immediate and overwhelming.

"Had I known you were coming...I would have fixed the place up a bit." Adrian said, shuffling some documents into a neat stack. "Not that I don't appreciate an unexpected visit."

**

Dan stayed in the doorway; his stance was firm, formal. He probably knew Adrian was stalling and wasn't having any of it. Adrian sighed and let go of the documents, telling himself that there was no sense in drawing this out longer than necessary. "Well, Dan, what brings you here?"

Adrian brought his hands behind his back and laced his fingers together as he steeled himself for Dan's outburst, but Dan only swallowed and looked up at the ceiling. "Ahh… well…"

Adrian stepped forward. "Dan?"

When he didn't respond, Adrian reached out, placed his hand on Dan's shoulder and immediately regretted it. He was the last person Dan would ever want touching him. He thought of what he'd done to Jon, New York, Rorschach, but still couldn't bring himself to take his hand away.

"Are you alright?"

**

Then they had lots of sex.

Awwww yeah.


End file.
